low-moisture mozzarella, which is made from whole or part
skim
milk, and widely used in the foodservice industry

smoked mozzarella

Fresh mozzarella is generally white, but may vary
seasonally to slightly yellow depending on the animal's diet. It is
a semi-soft cheese. Due to its high moisture content, it is
traditionally served the day it is made, but can be kept in
brine for up to a week, or
longer when sold in vacuum-sealed packages. Low-moisture mozzarella
can keep refrigerated for up to a month, though some pre-shredded
low-moisture mozzerella is sold with a shelf life of up to 6
months. Mozzarella of several kinds are also used for most types of
pizza, lasagna, or served with sliced
tomatoes and basil in
Insalata
caprese.

Types

The mozzarella from bufala campana (DOP 1996) is a
particular type of mozzarella; some consider it the best for
flavour or quality and it is protected by European
DOP. It is a raw material in Italian style neapolitan Pizza - rather than
mozzarella made with pasteurized cow's milk.

Mozzarella is available fresh; it is usually
rolled in the shape of a ball of 80 to 100 grams (6 cm diameter), sometimes up
to 1 kilogram (about 12
cm diameter), and soaked in salted water or whey, sometimes with
added citric acid, until sold.

Fior di latte (written also as fiordilatte) is
used to distinguish the mozzarella made from cow's milk from that
made from buffalo's milk.

When slightly desiccated (partially dried), the
structure becomes more compact; then it is better used to prepare
dishes cooked in the oven, for example lasagne.

When twisted to form a plait it is called
treccia.

It is also available in smoked (called
affumicata) and reduced-moisture packaged varieties.

There are now offered a number of variations,
such as "stuffed mozzarella", filled with olives and cooked or raw ham, as well as small tomatoes (pomodorini).

Production

The production of mozzarella involves the
mixture of curd with heated
whey, followed by stretching and kneading to produce a delicate
consistency -- this process is generally known as pasta
filata. According to the Mozzarella di Bufala trade
association, "The cheesemaker kneads it with his hands, like a
baker making bread, until he obtains a smooth, shiny paste, a
strand of which he pulls out and lops off, forming the individual
mozzarella." It is then typically formed into ball shapes or in
plait. In Italy, a
"rubbery" consistency is generally considered not satisfactory; the
cheese is expected to be softer.

Etymology

It has been said that the name "mozzarella",
which is clearly derived from southern Italian dialects, was the
diminutive form of mozza (cut), or mozzare (to cut off) derived
from the method of working. Other theories describe its origins as
a minor preparation of "scamozza" (Scamorza
cheese), which in its turn probably derives from "scamozzata"
("without a shirt"), with allusion to the fact that these cheeses
have no hard surface covering typical of a dry cured cheese.

The term mozzarella is first found definitively
mentioned in 1570, cited in a cookbook by Bartolomeo
Scappi, reading "…milk cream, fresh butter, ricotta cheese,
fresh mozzarella and milk…"

An earlier reference is also often cited as
describing mozzarella. Historian Monsignor Alicandri, in "Chiesa
Metropolitana di Capua", states that in the 12th century the
Monastery of Saint Lorenzo, in Capua, offered pilgrims a piece of
bread with mozza or provatura. These are locations rather than
products and mozza is taken by some to be mozzarella.

Nutritional data

Amount of nutrients in 100g of edible
portion of mozzarella, whole cow's milk: